Hidden In Fire
Prologue (Zaffie) "This is all your fault, Devon," a voice hissed from the shadows. Astro stood perfectly still, not daring to move a muscle. He knew that if he turned around, he would see a white pelt glowing in the dark - see the elusive cat who was the self-proclaimed leader of their little band - but he wouldn't turn. Devon wouldn't either, he could see from the rigid way his brother held his head. Only Lollipop had ever seen Silthrim, and she had told them little about him. "I know," Devon said, trembling. "I'm sorry. I will do better next time, I promise!" His voice rose sharply in pitch at the end of the sentence, and Astro winced at the fear obvious in his brother's meow. "Sorry doesn't fix the problems, Devon. Do you know what does, though?" There was silence. "Astro? Do you know?" Astro jumped. "Um...," he stuttered, his brain wheeling through the possibilities. "Killing the mistakes," Silthrim murmured, his voice deceptively smooth. "They aren't supposed to be here. No trace was supposed to remain of the Clans. So you must remove them." Astro gazed down towards the blaze. The fire he had helped start was still burning, and his pale grey pelt was streaked with ash. Here and there, along the shore of the lake, he could see small figures stumbling, and his heart clenched within him as he steeled himself to what he had to do. Chapter 1 (Bird) Blackpaw ran from the fire, and he refused to look back, the horrifying scenes playing back in his head. That was so horrible. Death.. Everywhere, he thought with a hiss Everyone I knew and was close to, dying in front of my very eyes. Even my closest friends are dead, why did they have to die? Blackpaw thought sadly, glaring around as he jumped over a fallen log as he continued to run from the fire. Everything was pretty much burnt. Why did I run? I could have stayed and helped more, but noooo I had to run like a scaredy cat, ''he thought. ''I could have saved my friends.. Instead I ran like a coward. '' Blackpaw had stopped running, but he had run out of breath, and looked back, some of the flames still shining through the trees that weren't horribly burnt. ''Why us? What have we done? he thought, then continued walking, hoping to find water That's what I need, too much smoke in my lungs. ''He sighed, sniffing the air, but only smelled the fire. Blackpaw decided to take his chances finding the water. ''I shouldn't bother with looking for cats, he thought angrily, digging his claws deep into the ground. Blackpaw stopped when he heard water, he ran toward it, not hesitating, and started to lap from the water. And it seemed to wash away the smoke that was inside him, clearing his lungs. The black tom looked up suddenly, narrowing his eyes. Why do I get the feeling.. I'm being watched? ''he thought as he looked in the undergrowth, seeing nothing. ''Must be my nerves, the apprentice thought dissmissively, it was more likely to be something harmless watching him, not something that wanted to eat him. I don't think I'd be tasty anyways, I might taste like ash and smoke, ''he thought, trying to calm himself. His friends would think he was going crazy. ''Who wouldn't after seeing what I saw? Blackpaw decided to get out of there, not wanting to be eaten, if it was that type of animal that eats cats just because it can.. Great Starclan animals of that type are annoying, ''he thought. ''Badgers and Foxes included, ''he added smugly. ''I wish I could sink my claws into one of those nasty animals. ''He continued walking. Blackpaw sighed, then continued walking, a grumble sounded from his stomach, and there was not a scent of prey on the breeze. He hissed in frustration, and his ears twitched angrily. ''And I still have the feeling I'm being watched. Blackpaw looked around suspiciously, but held back the nerve to yowl out to whatever was watching him. He just ignored the naggy feeling. I hate nagging, ''he thought, since everyone in his clan seemed to nag him... a lot, which got on Blackpaws nerves. Blackpaw was not usually one to just say "Oh, I'll do that just because I was told to." ''No, that's not how it works. I mean, I'm all for sacrificing my life for my clan, but sometimes it's questionable, which made me.. not very liked. But still, the few that were my close friends... At least they didn't nag me all the time, ''he remembered. He sat down, then licked his fur, then coughed. ''Ugh, smoke fur. ''Blackpaw gagged up some ash then coughed once more. He sighed, there was still smoke on the air, but it seemed distant... Either that or he got used to the smell, which he thought was likely bad for his health. ''I hate fires, he thought to himself, but really, he was stating the obvious. Who wouldn't hate fires after watching everyone they care about and their home being burnt to the ground, and I am not exaggerating either, I really saw cats burn, horrid sight, never want to remember it. '' "I bet Twolegs did it" Blackpaw muttered to himself, Twolegs always did crazy things like that, but then again, if he was muttering to himself, he thought that him himself was likely going crazy. Not that he wanted to admit that though, he had seen cats crazier than he must have been sounding. I mean seriously, who talks to themselves loudly and in front of everybody.'' Not me that's for sure. Well I guess we all have those days. Chapter 2 (Arti) "Bramblepath, Bramblepath, Bramblepath!" The voices of her Clanmates are free and happy, honoring her for her sucesses and telling her her failures are behind her now. They are welcoming her as a Warrior of ThunderClan, as one of them. Then they turn to screams, terrified yowling and screeches. Some cut off abruptly and she wails. "Get out of the camp!!!" There are flames, hideous flames of unnatural size. Bramblepath rushes around the dens, screeching, "Get out! Get out!" She has always been told ThunderClan Warriors are the best. Now she is watching them burn. '' Bramblepath wakes up, her heart pounding and someone is screaming. She realizes it is her and stops, but her throat is raw from the smoke and the shrieking. She has had nightmares before, but this was different. This happened. Her Warrior Ceremony, interrupted by the death of everyone she knew. She tired to get them out. But ThunderClan burned that night and so did everyone else. ''I am the last ThunderClan Warrior, ''she thinks. But she secretly hopes that she is not alone, that maybe someone survived. That maybe Swiftwind or Littlepaw or Amberflower is alive and trying to find her. But she knows that they're probably all dead. ''I watched them die, ''she thinks, ''My first act as a warrior was to watch the death of my Clan. I watched my mother vanish in the smoke. I saw my brother burn to death. My best friend is probably gone too. Poor Amberflower.... She gets up. The smoke still hangs in the air, heavy and silent, drifting forward. Bramblepath knows she needs to get away. She stumbles forward and shuffles away, barely noticing when she leaps the stream and crosses into RiverClan territory. All she can think of is all the cats she failed, all the cats who loved her, who guided her and trusted her to protect them for the night. She has failed them. Are they watching her now? She can't see the stars through the haze, but she hopes they can see her. She longs for their protection even though she hasn't earned it. She begins to run, tears streaming blindly form her eyes. She can barely see but she trusts her paws to guide her as they always have, through snow and rain and water and forest. She runs till she can run no further and then she just sobs. But she knows she must keep walking. Bramblepath shivers. The night is warm from the fire, but she is cold and she can't seem to get warm. She wonders, not for the first time that night, what it is like to die. Apart of her longs to join her Clanmates and family in the stars, but another part knows she must keep going. If she is the last ThunderClan Warrior, she must make her Clan proud. She will die an honorable death, not for herself, but for ThunderClan. When Bramblepath runs into the barn, the first thing she does is call herself almost every bad name she knows. She feels stupid for running into the thing and for not doing her duty. Then pain explodes across her left cheek and she hisses, patting it with her paw. She looks up and a word comes to mind though she hasn't really heard it until now. Barn. She looks around and scents the air. Not smelling anything, she circles it once. Then, when she is sure it is safe, ducks inside. It is warm and she can't smell the smoke anymore. She climbs up on a haystack and surveys the place. It is dim, but she can comfortably see everything. It's just hay and hay. She can scent mice so she knows she will be okay. She lays her head down on her paws and daydreams, remembering.... Amberpaw catches up to her. "Bramblepaw! We're getting our names!" Bramblepath turns, her eyes wide and happy, "Really?" When Amberpaw nods, she asks slyly, "Is Swiftpaw getting his name as well?" Amberpaw grins, "Of course he is. You and your Swiftpaw will both get your names." Bramblepaw flops on her back and smiles. "Today is perfect." "Swiftwind," Bramblepath whimpers, breaking out of her reminiscing. "Amberflower." Her crush and her best friend. The cats closest to her besides Littlepaw, her brother, and Petalpelt, her mother. All dead, all gone. Because of her. No, ''Bramblepath thinks, filling with hatred, ''It was because of the fire. '' She curls up, ready to sleep even though she knows she won't. She looks outside the barn door, searching for the stars. But they're not there. ''I'm sorry, ''she thinks, a tear rolling down her cheek as she closes her eyes, ''I'm so so sorry. '' Chapter 3 (Birchy) Birdsong ran. The crackle of fire in the distance was still ringing in her ears. ''What had happened? She wondered, and stopped. She was panting heavily. She hadn't been affected by the smoke too much, since she knew to duck down where the smoke usually didn't reach. She layed down on the dew-laden grass, thinking about what had happened. "Birdsong!" She turned around to her name, seeing Cloudpaw, the medicine cat apprentice, and Ravenwing, a newly made warrior, and also Cloudpaw's sister. '' ''"We're going out to find some herbs! We'll be back before Sunset!" Cloudpaw smiled. Birdsong nodded. '' ''"Okay, be careful! There could be bears," She smiled. It was a joke between her and the two sisters. Cloudpaw and Ravenwing bounded out of camp. Birdsong nodded before walking over to Frostnose and Nightbird, two senior warriors. '' ''"How is the training of Dovepaw and Thornpaw coming along?" She asked. '' ''"Pretty well. I think that next moon Dovepaw will be ready for her final assessment," Frostnose meowed. "Thornpaw is the same. just a bit more training," Nightbird added. '' ''"Good. I'll come with you to training tomorrow, and see how they've progressed," Birdsong smiled, dipping her head and turning to the camp entrance. She sat down, taking a deep breath, when she tasted something... bad. She looked up, seeing a dark grey fog starting to settle over camp. She looked around, when she saw it. The amber fire. '' ''She jumped up into action, and yowled, "Fire! Evacuate the camp!" Warriors snapped into action, but a couple of apprentices stared at her like she'd called an eagle a friend. '' ''"Now!" She ordered. They jumped and dashed to the elder's den. Birdsong followed the three young cats and helped to get Foxsplash, the oldest tom in WindClan. She hurried him outside camp, and she stopped at a rock with a puddle next to it. '' ''"Rest here," Birdsong meowed to him. He grumbled, and Birdsong raced back to camp. The fire had moved on, nearer to ThunderClan, but it had left it's mark on the camp. She stared in horror. Her clanmates, lying on the floor, burnt. She walked over to Nightbird, who lay motionless on the floor outside the medicine cat's den. Birdsong looked at the sky. '' ''"Why?!" She yowled, pain seeping into her heart. Not one of her Clan was alive. She ran back to Foxsplash, but he was coughing and spluttering in the smoke. Birdsong had started to appraoch him in a stalking manner, but when she got there, he'd gone too. She wailed, before running to the lake. '' Birdsong opened her eyes. She should have stayed with the camp, or with Foxsplash! Then she wouldn't have been the last from WindClan! She stood up slowly, and continued walking to the lake. She was walking where the fire had already blazed. ''What if there's someone alive in the other territories. '' Birdsong looked towards ThunderClan, easily spotting the trees, even through the smoke. The fire was spreading rapidly through the forest. She sighed, when she heard a wail. A kit's wail. ''I can't leave a kit there! ''Birdsong started to run again, nervous to save the kit's life. She couldn't help think terrible thoughs about the pooor kit, trapped in the fire. It made her run harder. She started to walk as she crossed the river that seperated ThunderClan from WindClan. She ducked into the water, hoping it would help to keep flames away from her a little. Birdsong swerved around trees, and called out, "Hello?!" Silence. "Anyone?!" Only the fire crackling. She walked deeper, lifting her feet quickly so her paws didn't heat up. Then she heard the wail again. Much louder. She ran again, hearing the wails of the kit. She looked about frantically, then realised the kit was in the midst of the fire. Birdsong built up her courage and leaped through an opening into the orange mob of heat. She kept her head low, following the wails. She spotted the kit crouched on a tree branch, the flames gaining higher up the tree. "Jump!" Birdsong cried. The kit trembled, looking down at her with fear. "Come on- I'll catch you!" Birdsong encouraged. The little kit edged to the end of the branch, but it started to break. She whimpered, clinging on with her claws. Birdsong looked up. ''Come on, jump... The branch fell, and Birdsong leaped up, and the kit tumbled down onto her. Birdsong jumped up from falling and picked the kit up, hurrying away from the flames. She wasn't paying attention to where she was going. All she knew was that she was heading to WindClan. I hope this little kit's okay... Maybe she has family alive, or any clanmates... She's lucky to be alive... I'm glad i found her... I can't believe my entire Clan is gone... I wonder how the other Clans are... Birdsong found it loud in her own head. The kit squirmed out of her grasp and tumbled down onto the ground with an 'oof'. "Are you okay?" Birdsong asked, licking the kit's head. "There's a safe place there!" She meowed. "I'm Sunkit. Let's go there!" Birdsong followed where the kit was pointing to. Through the smoke, she saw the barn. Is it possible... "C'mon!" Sunkit meowed. Birdsong shook her pelt and picked Sunkit up again, before hurrying to the barn. TeeHee Birdsong slowed to a walk as she reached the barn. She put Sunkit down. "Stay with me," She whispered, tired and aching from so much running. She entered the barn warily, and seeing no other cats, curled up in the hay. Sunkit curled up around her, and Birdsong smiled tiredly. Her throat was burning from the smoke, and her whole body was too warm, both from the fire and running. But she was safe. And so was Sunkit. "I hope we're not alone," She murmured, before laying her head down and promptly falling asleep. Chapter 4 (Stareh) Dewfur's paw flashed into the water, tossing the slick fish into the air. He caught it in his strong jaws before it could splash back into the river. He dropped it on the boulder, biting it hard on the back of the head. "Nice catch!" Dewfur lifted his head and purred. Skylight wove her way around the boulders until she was balanced lightly in front of him. He had to force himself not to stare; the gentle breeze was blowing through his mate's long white fur, and her blue eyes were bright and lively. "Thanks," Dewfur meowed, nudging the fat silver fish with one paw. "Do you want to head down to the lake? We could take a swim; it's strangely warm out right now." Skylight gave a little bounce on her paws and nodded. "Sure! It's way too hot out for me; this pelt traps in every drop of heat!" Dewfur purred and lead the way down to the lakeside. Skylight didn't hesitate before leaping head-first into the cool waves. Dewfur sat on the pebbly shore, watching the smudge of white that was his mate bob in the waves. Dewfur shifted uneasily. Why was it so hot? And what was that burning smell? He twisted his neck around, toward ThunderClan's territory, and yowled. Flames were licking up the trees, amber streaks swallowing up the emerald leaves. Dewfur shot to his paws, suddenly feeling the heat of the fire. He swallowed hard, turning back to where he'd seen Skylight paddling around in the water. All he saw was a blue of white as his mate shot out of the forest and away from the fire. Dewfur yowled and pelted after her, but a flaming tree fell across his path. He bellowed as sparks of heat flew from the burning tree and burned his skin. Dewfur whirled around and raced towards WindClan's hills. It was the only thing he could see that wasn't burning. Once he reached the safety of the moors, he faced the lakeside. He couldn't see ShadowClan territory, but Dewfur knew that ThunderClan and RiverClan were both in flames. His heart contracted when he thought of Skylight, fear driving her on blindly through the blaze. She couldn't have survived that. Dewfur sat hunched on the moors, not caring if a WindClan patrol found him. When night fell and the flames finally died away, Dewfur turned his nose to the stars and yowled his misery to the spirits.